LLaanndd UUssee PPllaann AArreeaass EEaasstt ooff II--8855 RRoowwaann CCoouunnttyy,,, NNoorrtthh CCaarroollliiinnaa Prepared by the Rowan County Department of Planning & Development Adopted January 17, 2012 LAND USE PLAN AREAS EAST OF 1-85 ROWAN COUNTY NORTH CAROLINA Prepared for Rowan County Board of Commissioners Board Members Commissioning/Adopting the Plan Chad Mitchell, Chairman Carl Ford, Vice Chairman John Barber Raymond Coltrain James Sides County Manager Gary Page Planning and Development Director Ed Muire, AICP Date Adopted January 17, 2012 Prepared by Rowan County Department of Planning & Development Rowan County, NC 2 Land Use Study – Areas East of I-85 Committee A (Planning Board) Jack Fisher, Chairman Bill Brown Greg Edds Craig Pierce Larry Wright Rowan County Planning and Development Department Staff (Devoted to this Project) Ed Muire, AICP Director Shane Stewart Senior Planner Andrew Goodall, CZO Planner Fredda Greer Planning Technician Rowan County, NC 3 Land Use Study – Areas East of I-85 TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction 6 Background Information 7 Geography & Environment 7 Population 9 Housing 11 Public Facilities 13 Schools 15 Recreational Facilities 17 Transportation 18 Infrastructure 21 Historic Places 23 Agriculture 24 Future Land Use Recommendations 25 Planning Area One 26 Planning Area Two 27 Planning Area Three 28 Commercial Uses 29 Commercial Nodes 30 Commercial and Industrial Corridors 31 Residential Uses 32 Rural Areas 33 Natural Environment 34 Private Property Rights 34 Future Plans and Studies 35 Next Steps 36 Appendix A – Additional Information 37 Appendix B – Public Input 40 Rowan County, NC 4 Land Use Study – Areas East of I-85 FIGURES AND TABLES Figure 1: Areas East of I-85 Planning/Study Area 1 Figure 2: High Rock Lake 7 Figure 3: Study Area Flood Hazard Areas 7 Figure 4: Study Area Watershed Areas, Soil Suitability for Septic Systems 8 Figure 5: Study Area Population 2010 9 Figure 6: Study Area Population 2000 10 Figure 7: Study Area Housing Units 11 Figure 8: Law Enforcement Response Zones 14 Figure 9: Study Area E-911 Station Locations 14 Figure 10: Study Area School District Maps 16 Figure 11: Study Area Parks and Recreations 17 Figure 12: Study Area NCDOT Bicycle Routes 18 Figure 13: High Rock Lake, Tuckertown Reservoir & Gold Hill Historic Park 18 Figure 14: Study Area Transportation Map 20 Figure 15: Study Area Infrastructure 22 Figure 16: Study Area Historic Places 23 Figure 17: Examples of historic structures in the Study Area 23 Figure 18: Study Area Present Use & Farmland Preservation 24 Figure 19: Agricultural areas, Dan Nicholas Park 24 Figure 20: Areas East of I-85 Planning Area Map 25 Figure 21: Planning Area One 26 Figure 22: Planning Area One pictures 26 Figure 23: Planning Area Two 27 Figure 24: Planning Area Three 28 Figure 25: Examples of commercial uses in the Study Area 29 Figure 26: Community & Regional Nodes 30 Figure 27: Commercial & Industrial Corridors 31 Figure 28: Traditional Subdivision Layout v. Conservation Subdivision Layout 33 Table 1: Population Change 1990 – 2010 10 Table 2: Study Area Approved Major Subdivisions 12 Table 3: Residential Building Permit Data, Rowan County, NC (1980 – 2010) 12 Table 4: Study Area Fire District Data 13 Table 5: Study Area School Enrollment (2007 – 2011) 15 Table 6: Study Area Transportation Improvement Projects 19 A.1: Population Data 1970 – 2030 37 A.2: Housing Unit Data 1970 – 2010 38 A.3: School Capacity Data 39 Rowan County, NC 5 Land Use Study – Areas East of I-85 INTRODUCTION On March 7, 2011, the Rowan County Board of Commissioners directed Planning Staff to prepare a proposal for conducting a land use study for the eastern portion of Rowan County not contained in the Land Use Plan for the Areas West of I-85. Based on the proposal, the majority of the Commission authorized the Planning Board and Staff to initiate an abbreviated study process on May 2, 2011. The rationale for undertaking the study was two-fold: 1. Provide ‘balance’ with the western area plan adopted by the Commission in April 2009; and, 2. Satisfy the Federal Highway Administration and NC DOT requirement for a land use plan as it relates to a future I-85 interchange at Old Beatty Ford Road Planning Board Chairman Mac Butner assigned Committee A of the Planning Board the task of managing study development. Committee A was chaired by Jack Fisher and committee members included: Bill Brown, Greg Edds, Craig Pierce and Larry Wright. The Committee met on the following dates and considered these land use topics or tasks relevant to the study process: Date Topics Population Housing June 9, 2011 Adjacent Jurisdictional Impacts Historical Elements Economic Base July 14, 2011 Land Use Area Map Development Community & Recreation Facilities Schools August 16, 2011 Transportation Natural Environment August 30, 2011 Finalize DRAFT Recommendations for Workshops October 24, 2011 Review Draft Land Use Plan (DLUP) October 31, 2011 Recommendation to approve DLUP (5-0) November 22, 2011 Planning Board Workshop Workshops intended to solicit public comment regarding the draft recommendations were held at the following locations within the study area: September 20, 2011 East Rowan High School September 22, 2011 North Rowan High School September 27, 2011 Jesse Carson High School Comments and suggestions received from the workshops were provided to the Committee for consideration and discussion prior to their inclusion in a final draft land use study document recommended by Committee A. The final draft document was forwarded to the Planning Board for consideration and discussion at a series of workshops prior to conducting a courtesy hearing on November 28, 2011. Rowan County, NC 6 Land Use Study – Areas East of I-85 BACKGROUND INFORMATION With the guidance of Committee A, Planning Staff were able to identify and research topics of key interest and importance to the planning process in the eastern study area. The topics are depicted in maps, tables, pictures and written descriptions below and include: Geography & Environment Population Housing Public Facilities Schools Recreational Facilities Transportation Infrastructure Historic Places Agriculture GEOGRAPHY & ENVIRONMENT The eastern study area consists of approximately one- hundred sixty-nine square miles (107,859 acres) located in the county’s planning jurisdiction within a geographic triangle created by Interstate 85, the Yadkin River and the common boundary with Cabarrus and Stanly counties. Typical of most counties in the Piedmont region of North Carolina, the study area is characterized by a rolling terrain where elevations smoothly transition between 560- 850 feet. However, instances of peaks rising to 900-1000 feet above the general landscape include Dunns Mountain, Balfour Mountain and Flat Swamp Mountain at High Rock Dam; the lowest elevation in the County is found along the shoreline Figure 2 – High Rock Lake of Tuckertown Reservoir. Perhaps the most significant Source: Rowan County Dept. of geographic feature in the study area is the Yadkin River Planning & Development, 2011 and its resultant reservoirs, High Rock and Tuckertown, formed by dams located within the run of the river. High Rock Lake and Tuckertown Reservoir are the first two of four lakes in the Uwharrie chain of lakes managed and operated by the Yadkin Division of Alcoa Power Generating Inc. (ALCOA). Completed in 1927 and 1962 respectively, High Rock and Tuckertown provide many recreational opportunities for the region and are also used for hydroelectric power generation. According to ALCOA data, the High Rock facility has a licensed capacity to produce 39.6 megawatts Figure 3 – Study Areas Flood Hazard Areas of power and Tuckertown a capacity of 38.04 Source: NC Floodplain Mapping Agency, 2009 megawatts of power; both facilities are Rowan County, NC 7 Land Use Study – Areas East of I-85 remotely operated from a location in Alcoa, Tennessee. Streams within the county are generally oriented in a northeasterly direction and drain toward the Yadkin River. Significant tributaries within the study area exhibiting this drainage pattern are Church, Crane, Panther, Reedy, Riles, Dutch Second and Town creeks. The exception to this drainage pattern is created by the east-west ridge utilized by the East NC 152 Highway roadway that separates the Yadkin drainage system from that of Rocky River. Southward flowing streams in the study area are Coldwater and Dutch Buffalo creeks. Flood hazard areas associated with creeks, streams and lakes account for 3,410 acres in the study area (see Figure 3 above). Prior to the 2009 adoption of an updated flood damage prevention ordinance and digital mapping provided by the NC Floodplain Mapping Agency, the determination of potential flooding impacts to development proposals were based on hard copies of FEMA’s Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRM) published in November 1979. Development in the flood hazard areas is discouraged, although by elevating or flood- proofing a structure two feet above the base flood elevation of the flooding source allows structures to be built in the 100-year floodplain. Water supply watersheds within the study area include Cold Water Creek, Dutch Buffalo Creek and Tuckertown Reservoir. As the name implies, these watersheds are a water supply source for municipal users. Specifically, Coldwater Creek is a source for the City of Concord; Dutch Buffalo for the Town of Mt. Pleasant; and Tuckertown for the City of Albemarle. Regulations for land development activities in watersheds are based on a WS-I thru WS-IV tiered system and employ a built- upon area limitation for Figure 4 – Study Area Watershed Areas, Soil Suitability for Septic Systems Source: Rowan County Dept. of Planning & Development, 2011; non-residential uses and a United States Department of Agriculture, 2011 minimum lot size for Rowan County, NC 8 Land Use Study – Areas East of I-85 residential uses. Rowan County adopted a watershed ordinance in January 1994 and later incorporated the standards into the countywide zoning ordinance adopted February 1998.